The Pete Flesh Deathtrip
Mortui Vivos Docent
2013 Pulverised Records
This one has been a long time coming. The last we heard of riffmaster general Pete Flesh was in 2008, either on Deceiver's "Thrashing Heavy Metal" or Flesh's "Worship the Soul of Disgust," whichever was released second that year. Depending on who you talk to, either Flesh metamorphosed in the The Pete Flesh Deathtrip, or TPFD is an all new project that has nothing to do with any previous band. Originally conceived as a completely solo band, Pete opted to recruit a couple of session members, mainly Andreas Jonsson drums and Micke Broberg (of Unanimated fame), who contributes vocals and lyrics to some of the tracks. What they've produced is an extremely guitar-oriented death thrash album, and quite possibly the most personal thing Pete has ever done. There's a whole ton of power and majesty in every riff, although I do wish there was a little more of a bottom end with the bass in the mix. As a result, quite a bit of the feeling of Unanimated comes through, even on the tracks where Pete takes the vocal spot instead of Micke. Every track here will defy you in any attempt to not bang your head. The urge is just impossible to resist. Give "Mortui Vivos Docent" a listen, and you'll be quick to understand why it's my favorite release involving Pete Flesh since Thrown's "The Suicidal Kings Occult."
Tyrants Blood
Into the Kingdom of Graves
2013 Self Release
Took me quite a while to get my dirty mitts on this one. It was well worth the wait though. While it's not clear to me why Tyrants Blood released this album on their own, I'm glad they did. Doing so shows a lot of conviction and belief in what they're doing on their part. The cult Ross Bay sound lives on in Tyrants Blood, and in my mind, they're like the spiritual successor to Blasphemy... which in no way do I mean to take anything away from their own merits. It makes sense of course, as guitarist Marco Banco used to be part of that horde. He's pulled out all the stops here with the furious riffing. Drummer Matt Blood is kept on his toes, with all kinds of odd time changes. Some might find the drum tone a little odd, as there are times when they have a kind of "trashcan" sound. That's fine with me. It's good to hear a technical edge like his, combined with a more organic sound. I can't stand the flat, dry drum tone favored by most of the tech types these days. Brian Langley spews forth all kinds of vocal venom, coming across as a rabid Wendigo with his foot caught in a bear trap. Overall, there's a lot more dynamics going on here than you usually hear from bands in this subgenre. Most other bands of the "war metal" style tend to prefer blasting out an album, going at a non-stop high speed pace with little to no variation. Tyrants Blood prefer to mix things up a bit. There's a few places where I wish the guitars were a little higher in the mix, such as in the first half of "Conjure the Watcher." But that's all forgivable, for two reasons. First off, this type of metal has got to be a complete bitch to mix, and second... it's not meant to have a super-polished clean sound!
Temple Nightside
Condemnation
2013 Dark Descent / Nuclear Winter Records
Claustrophobic death metal seems to be all the rage these days, and Temple Nightside is one of the better bands in the style. Combining echoing Incantation style guitar riffs with blasting drums and vocals from the lower bowels of Hell, they've put together something that will haunt you well after you hear the last note of the last song. The slower tracks, such as "Exhumation: Miseries upon Imprecation," have a kind of "lurching" feeling to them, conjuring forth the image of some hulking trollish entity... shuffling through an endless black labyrinth, dragging heavy chains behind itself for the rest of its pitiful existence. The despair he feels is of the slow burning variety that runs deep. So it is with the music of Temple Nightside. Heavy on the atmosphere, heavy on the feeling. Yet not lightweight with the other aspects of their sound. I'd expect nothing less from a couple of deranged guys from Australia, as their country practically invented this style. Want further evidence? OK, between the two of them, they've done time in bands like Naxzul, Backyard Mortuary and Pestilential Shadows... plus a small host of others I've never heard of until now. Definitely one of the better albums I've heard in the final quarter of 2013.
